Published 16:00 IST, October 19th 2019
Uttarakhand Govt puts total ban on gutka & pan masala for a year
The Uttarakhand government has put a total ban on the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of products like gutka and pan masala for a year on Friday
Advertisement
The Uttarakhand government has put a total ban on the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of products like gutka and pan masala which have a high content of tobacco and nicotine in them for a year. The decision was taken in view of the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine-based chewing products like gutka and pan masala on human health. An order was issued by the Food Safety Commissioner Nitesh Kumar Jha on Friday.
Standards Authority of India prohibits the use of tobacco and nicotine as an ingredient in any product meant for human consumption but it has been found that gutka, pan masala and several other similar products being sold under different names continue to have a high content of them as components.
Rajasthan government bans pan masala
Earlier, the Rajasthan Government on October 2 has announced a ban on pan masala containing magnesium carbonate, nicotine, tobacco, mineral oil and flavoured ‘supari’ in the State. With this decision, Rajasthan has become the third state after Maharashtra and Bihar to announce such a move, according to a release. All such products will now be banned in the State under the Food Safety Act. This is an important decision taken to curb addiction among youth, Health Minister Raghu Sharma said. Production, storage, distribution and sale of these products will not be allowed in the state.
Ban in Bihar
On August 30, the government of Bihar had issued a ban on ‘Pan Masala’ across various brands through the state. The order prohibits up to 20 different brands including Rajanigandha and Raj Niwas pan masala. The ban is applicable to all the districts of Bihar and it has been issued keeping in mind the ill-effects of tobacco. The presence of Magnesium Carbonate in the pan masala has compelled the Bihar government to ban pan masala for a year.
The order issued by the state's Department of Health concludes that as per samples studied, the consumption of pan masala could cause Acute Hyper Magnesia and cardiac arrest in fewer cases. The presence of Magnesium Carbonate in food items also contravenes the regulation of the Food Safety Act of 2006. According to the report, this ban has been issued keeping in mind the public interest. The Commissioner of Food Safety in Bihar has banned the manufacture, storage, distribution, transportation, display and sale of any such products.
(with PTI inputs)
13:48 IST, October 19th 2019